Russia-Ukraine: US warns of 'false-flag' operation

A US official has said Russia is plotting to stage acts of provocation to create a pretext to invade Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesman says Russian operatives are planning a "false-flag" operation, to allow Moscow to accuse Ukraine of preparing an attack. Russia has dismissed the claims.

Also in the programme: Novak Djokovic has been detained in Australia ahead of a court hearing that will determine whether he can stay in the country. And US President Joe Biden has been negotiating with senators in his own party to try to save voting rights legislation he wants to pass through the US Congress.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Chitra Nagarajan, a writer and human rights activist specialising in Nigeria. And Paolo Gerbaudo, a political sociologist specialising in digital culture who teaches at the Scuola Normale Superiore University in Florence.

(Photo: Ukrainians and activists from different counties of the former Soviet Union attend the "Say No to Putin" rally in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 09 January 2022. Credit: EPA/Sergey Dolzhenko)